TORONTO (Reuters) -- Automakers sold a record number of cars and trucks in Canada in June with Ford Motor Co. selling the most in the month and Fiat Chrysler leading in sales over the first half of the year, industry data showed on Wednesday.

Automakers sold 908,094 vehicles in Canada in the first six months, a 3 percent increase over a year earlier and "the earliest date on record for sales to hit the 900K mark," Dennis DesRosiers of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants said in a report.

For June, Ford Canada said overall sales rose 7 percent. It sold 30,852 vehicles, and it said there was a surge in sales for its Flex and Escape models. Truck sales rose 10 percent, while car sales dipped 1 percent.

For the first half of 2014, Ford's overall sales were down 2 percent.

Chrysler Canada sold 27,013 cars and trucks in June, a 3 percent rise from a year earlier, with its Jeep and Fiat brands setting June records. Strong truck sales, up 11 percent, offset a steep 27 percent drop in car sales in June.

Chrysler Canada said it had its strongest showing year-to-date since 1988, with overall sales up 5 percent.

Sales at General Motors, which has been plagued by damaging publicity surrounding an ongoing investigation into faulty ignition switches and by a flood of recalls, slumped last month.